THE QUORN KENNELS 23 



THE QUORN KENNELS 



IT is something like a hundred and fifty years since 

 Mr. Meynell began to hunt the famed Ouorn 

 country, and now after so many years, after the rule of 

 so many masters, and so many fresh sites, the Quorn 

 kennels are just in the place which Mr. Meynell selected 

 as soon as he had fairly settled into harness. When he 

 lived at Langton Hall with "Prince" Boothby, quite 

 early in his career, Mr. Meynell kept his hounds at 

 Bowden Inn, on the Pytchley side of his country. 

 Ouorndon Hall he afterwards bought from Lord Ferrers, 

 about the year 1754, and the kennels there are, as 

 subsequent events have shown, the best that could be 

 chosen. Mr. Meynell doubtless had his eye on Charn- 

 wood Forest, then far more open than it is now, as a 

 fine schooling-ground for hounds, and a grand area for 

 spring and autumn hunting. It must be remembered that 

 Mr. Meynell's country reached from near Nottingham to 

 Market Harborough, and embraced a good deal of the 

 present Atherstone Hunt. It is clear, therefore, that from 

 no one base could all the fixtures have been reached. 



The Bowden Inn kennels having once been found 

 convenient, were kept on for occasional use after Ouorn- 

 don Hall became the headquarters of the pack. In the 

 time of the " Primate of the Science," too, other kennels 

 are mentioned. The hounds sometimes went to Brad- 

 gate Park ; but that was then Lord Stamford's place, so 

 when Mr. Meynell quartered on him, it was most pro- 

 bably as a guest for some particular fixture. Bradley, 

 too, is mentioned in connection with the Ravensdale side 



